In the evening of February 1st 1933, the young Bonhoeffer’s radio broadcast was suddenly cut off. Why, was it because he warned his listeners that if a national leader surrenders “to the wishes of his followers, who would then make him an idol thus becoming a ‘misleader’? He proposed that leaders who set themselves up as gods mock God.” Why is it in our time people seem to yearn for a strong leader?

Rev Dr Lynn Arnold AO is a Priest in the Anglican Church. He teaches Systematic Theology at St Barnabas College and ministers out of St Peter’s Cathedral, with a special focus on encouraging dialogue on public issues from Christian perspectives. He was formerly CEO of World Vision and a Premier of South Australia.